Now that my kids are in their pre-teen and teenage years, finding books for them has become a little trickier. I want to find material appropriate for their reading level and that interests them, while also avoiding some of the more mature adult content that is prevalent in “young adult” literature.

Since we also still read many of these books together, I also wanted to find books that would interest me as well.

In my “research” I’ve made note of 10 exceptional middle-grade books that my kids and I have enjoyed.

Wonder – This book is probably on every must-read list out there and this list is no exception.

The Wednesday Wars – This book was a total blast. A classic middle school student scenario, set during the Vietnam War, and offering tons of comic relief.

Holes – This book is a classic and my teenager, who would much rather do just about anything else than read right now, couldn’t put this one down!

The Lightning Thief – This book launched my 11 year old daughter into a full-on obsession with Rick Riordan books and Greek Mythology.

The Westing Game – This is a book I remember reading -and loving!- in middle school.

Maniac Magee – This is another beloved book from my childhood that I couldn’t wait to share with my own kids.

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item (at no extra cost to you), I will receive a commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

One of the great things about living in the digital age is the incredible amount of information available to us at the click of a button! It’s a great time to be a homeschooler!

While we do get a lot of our information from textbooks, we frequently utilize online resources in our homeschool. I’ve recently come to greatly appreciate YouTube – there really is a video out there for almost anything you can think of!

With YouTube you do need to be especially careful about internet safety. Even if you have all your filters set to protect your kids, you may want to keep an eye on the advertisements that play before the video. Surprisingly, even if it’s clearly a children’s video, the ads may be geared toward adult audiences. I prefer to start the video and sit through the ad myself and cue it up to the start of the video before I have the children come to the computer.

While there are TONS of great videos and channels out there, here is a list of my favorite educational youtube video channels for kids!

The Spangler Effect – He’s the science teacher you always wanted to have in school. Things just happen to fizz, pop, smoke and explode, and before you know it, you’re a part of his learning experience. His passion is to find the most creative ways to make learning fun. His methods might be unconventional, but the goal is to turn ordinary science experiments into unforgettable learning experiences. And when it happens, it’s called the Spangler Effect.

Kids Animal Channel – The videos range from the endangered, to the wild, to the cute, scary and even weird animals!

NOVA PBS – NOVA is the most-watched primetime science series on television reaching an average of five million viewers weekly. NOVA’s mission is to make science accessible to viewers so that they can better understand the world around them.

SciShow – SciShow explores the unexpected. Seven days a week, Hank Green, Michael Aranda, and Olivia Gordon delve into the scientific subjects that defy our expectations and make us even more curious!

NASA – NASA’s mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. To do that, we have worked around the world — and off it — for more than 50 years, searching for answers to fundamental questions about our place in the universe. We’re exploring space and discovering Earth. Join us for this exciting and important journey.

Language Arts

ELF Kids Videos – This channel includes a mix of animated songs, vocabulary-based videos for EFL/ESL children, and alphabet, phonics and reading videos for young learners to enjoy.

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item (at no extra cost to you), I will receive a commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

It all started when a friend came over to help me put together some outfits. One thing led to another and we ended up overhauling my entire wardrobe. I cleaned out a bunch of items I never wore, clothing I was holding onto for….sentimentality, perhaps?, and even duplicates of some items.

And I didn’t stop there.

I’ve long been inspired by Project 333, a wardrobe project stemming from the minimalist movement. The idea is to simplify your wardrobe by limiting yourself to just 33 items of clothing.

It seemed completely impossible at first. My closet was overflowing and I kept buying more and more clothing because I felt like I had “nothing to wear.”

I don’t know what made me finally decide to do it, but one day I just decided to go for it. It’s been several weeks now, and so far has been much easier than I expected. I haven’t had many days where I’ve felt that I didn’t have the right clothes for the situation (and those feelings passed after getting dressed) and it really has simplified my mornings when choosing what to wear.

I decided to share my fall fashion capsule (beware, I’m a total amateur!) because I love seeing other’s capsules and drawing inspiration from their outfit choices!

Since I had so many clothes to start with (seriously, it’s embarrassing), I decided to try to make do with clothes I already had and only made two purchases to complete my capsule. So, there are a couple of items that I wish were different, but it’s working so far, so I’m sticking with it!

Here are the basic rules of the challenge:

– For 3 months you will wear only 33 items, including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes. These items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or another sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear, and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to workout).

I opted to modify the rules to make it easier for my first time. I included clothing and outwear, but excluded jewelry, accessories, tanks/camis (I wear them under everything), and shoes. I did simplify and clean out my jewelry, accessories, and shoes though.

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item (at no extra cost to you), I will receive a commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

Fried chicken, who doesn’t love it? I grew up in the south and fried chicken was on the dinner menu weekly. It’s comfort food at it’s finest.

Since going grain-free, I have missed eating fried chicken, so I decided to find a healthier alternative.

These incredibly easy crispy baked chicken legs are not only grain-free, they’re absolutely delicious. And easy. SO easy. And baking them is so much better than standing over a big pan of hot grease trying to not get popped!

The heavy coating of spices and high cooking temp gives the skin a nice crispy texture without having to rely on breading. I also like to grill them with the same spice mixture for even crispier skin, but baking is usually easier. Either way you get awesome flavor!

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item (at no extra cost to you), I will receive a commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

The “Mr. & Mrs.” hanging sign was made with burlap, twine, and painted on letters.

I made this letter with just a couple of items from Hobby Lobby. I bought the black letter and hot glued on the burlap flower (found in the floral area), and a friend painted on their last name (I have terrible handwriting, so all decorative writing was done by a friend of mine!).

I loved this particular section of the table. I framed one of the couple’s engagement pictures and thought it turned out so cute!

This side table is where we placed the gifts. My kids already placed their little homemade gifts (the blue bags) on the table. I found the burlap and lace table runner at Walmart.

I also had a little activity for the guests to write their best date night idea on a popsicle stick to place in the jar for the newlyweds.

The entry table included framed pictures of the couple, their wedding memory book, and a plate painted with their names. The plate was a basic chalkboard plate from Hobby Lobby with their names painted on by my friend. I gave them the plate after the shower to keep.

I’m happy with how it turned out, and more importantly, so was the bride! I was honored to throw her shower and it was fun to try and be creative and make the decorations!

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item (at no extra cost to you), I will receive a commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and/or believe will add value to my readers.
Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.